| Unraveling the Past |
by Candy Antonio, Rose Lawn Board of Trustees. |  |
A rocking chair, a letter, a dress, and a piano are all clues. We use them to unravel the mysteries that cloak the lives of Sam Jones, Rebecca Latimer Felton, and Rose Lawn itself. Even a porcelain sink on the porch hints of a different way of life. A rocking chair that once belonged to Sam Jones rests in an upstairs room. Did he formulate his sermons in this chair? Did he worry about the threats against him and his family for his leadership in the Prohibition Movement? Did he try to rock away his fears when the barn was dynamited? At one time, the gardens were meticulously maintained and flowers were grown in a large greenhouse on the grounds. Mrs. Laura Jones loved to keep fresh flowers in the house all the time. She must have filled a great part of her day cultivating the roses that gave her home its name. She probably gardened to take her mind off her loneliness when her husband was away, which was most of the time. Every day she probably washed her hands at the little sink on the porch before she came inside to tend to her children. In 1906, Rebecca Latimer Felton attended the Exposition in Chicago. On Sunday afternoon after attending church and having lunch, she had some quiet time. Her thoughts turned to her husband, William, and her son who were at home in Cartersville, so she wrote them a letter. The letter reflects the same conflicts that plague women today. She misses her family, and even the morning's church sermon brings them into her thoughts. However, she also realizes the importance of her role and the sacrifices she must make to fulfill her commitment to political reform. In the upstairs front room is a black taffeta dress. It was fashioned from curtains for Rebecca Felton after the Civil War. Is her petite stature another piece of evidence that she was the model for Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind? Rebecca often met with Corra Harris, Martha Berry, and Margaret Mitchell in her later years. Did she tell them her stories from her past, including fleeing Sherman's advance with her belongings in a mule drawn wagon? Did she confide in them her resolve to never be poor again after seeing her decimated home at war's end? A pianoforte sits in Rose Lawn's front parlor that was given to Rebecca on her sixteenth birthday. It's easy to imagine that she played it as an escape from the reality of losing all but one of her children. Music has soothed us all. These are just some of the things that we are trying to protect at Rose Lawn Museum. Our priority right now is to document and inventory all of this evidence that links us to the past. It is our goal not only to protect and preserve these clues, but also to share them. We want to pass on the legacy that individuals can make a difference. History and the people who made their imprint on our past are often forced on us in a factual way that discourages curiosity. It's difficult to learn from the past when we can't relate to it. By viewing and understanding the may collections at Rose Lawn, it is our hope that we can establish a link with those who have gone before us. |
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